The National Physical Science Consortium is a partnership between government agencies and laboratories, industry, and higher education. NPSC's goal is to increase the number of American citizens with graduate degrees in the physical sciences and related engineering fields, emphasizing recruitment of a diverse applicant pool.

NPSC's member universities do not require fellows to pay tuition. Most government agency fellowships must cover all or part of tuition. Partly as a result, the total cost of an NPSC fellowship is roughly half what it costs a government agency to provide its own fellowships.

The NPSC Graduate Fellowship is unique: open to all American citizens; lasting for up to six years; providing a $20,000 expense allowance; covering tuition; allowing a fellow also to hold a research or teaching assistantship; including one or two paid summer internships with a government agency; providing a mentor and the opportunity for a lasting relationship with the sponsor.

Since inception in 1989, NPSC has awarded 467 graduate fellowships. Of those fellows, 204 have received a PhD and 92 have received an MS. Sixty-six students are currently enrolled. Ninety-five percent of NPSC fellows have been minority, female, or both, those historically underrepresented in science. Recent alumni have received PhD's from Caltech, Cornell, Duke, George Washington, North Carolina State, Stanford, Texas A & M, UC Berkeley, University of Chicago, University of Illinois, University of Maryland – CP, University of Michigan, University of Missouri, and University of Wisconsin.

By helping to provide a continuous source of scientists who are U. S. citizens, employers and universities can achieve diversity and balance in our nation's scientific community. In turn, NPSC can help today's promising young scientists — tomorrow's science leaders — to realize their dreams.

The NPSC fellowship application is easy to complete, requiring the same information as other national fellowships. The online application opens August 1 and closes November 30.

If you have interned, have been employed, or are employed by a government agency or laboratory, ask your mentor or research supervisor to nominate you directly for an NPSC fellowship. Be aware though that in this case your nominator would have to be able to cover the fellowship stipend. Contact NPSC for details.

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8/1/2014

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